Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Evelyn settled the studs onto their velvet cushion and stirred one finger through the remaining choices in her jewelry box. She pressed her lips together, dissatisfied. Nothing seemed right. A pair of plain pearls had gone quite well with the teal shirtwaist she'd worn to church this morning. But for the afternoon, she'd changed into a floral print that made her feel feminine and pretty. She wanted the right accessories to go with it. Something that would impress Ryan when he saw her at the train station.

Wait. No. She wanted to impress the Wedding-in-a-Week couple. Ryan had nothing to do with it. He was a childhood friend, her cousin's pal, an acquaintance. Nothing more.

Her hand hovered over the earrings. Okay, maybe there was a little bit more, but it was all in good fun. They were both eager to have the winners of the Wedding-in-a-Week choose their venue for their ceremony and reception. And the stakes were high, weren't they? Dinner for two at one of the swankiest places in all of Heart's Landing. She inhaled deeply. She could practically smell those lamb chops now. Not that she intended to eat them herself. Or that it mattered one iota what Ryan had done to the old Boat Works. He didn't stand a chance of winning.

The celebration dinner was a week away. In the meantime, it couldn't hurt to give him a few friendly pointers. She owed him that much, didn't she?

Watching him sweat over the rule book yesterday had stirred a memory straight out of her childhood. She must've been five or six at the time. She remembered, because she'd been in Mrs. Collins' kindergarten class, where every student had long since learned to tie their shoes. Every student but her. After nap time each day, the other kids had put their sneakers on and run out to the playground. Not her. She'd stood there, her cheeks burning with shame, while she waited for the teacher to tie the two neat bows. She'd tried to teach herself, but she'd needed help. Only the more people she'd asked, the worse things had gotten. Her dad had said, "Loop, swoop, and pull," but her laces had gotten tangled. Her mom had told her a story about a squirrel and a tree while putting the strings through an intricate dance that had made no sense at all. Resigned to learning on her own, she'd practiced for hours with no success. Every time she'd thought she'd mastered the task, her bow had fallen apart in her fingers.

Until Ryan had taken pity on her. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. She'd been sitting on the bottom step, tears streaming down her cheeks, when he raced down the stairs. His feet had skidded to a stop on the hardwood floors. Instead of teasing her or calling her a baby, he'd walked right over, sat down beside her, and patiently taught her to make bunny ears with each lace and tie them together. She'd never admit it to a soul, but to this day she couldn't tie her shoes any other way.

She'd been indebted to him ever since. By helping him now, she could finally even the score. Not that it'd change the outcome. She hadn't been trying to trick him into backing out when she'd told him the couple always chose the Captain's Cottage. No matter how much time and effort Ryan had poured into the Boat Works, he didn't have a chance of winning their bet. As long as they were in the competition together, though, she'd lend him a hand. Because she owed him. Because it was the best thing to do for Heart's Landing.

That her childhood friend had grown into the most attractive man she'd seen in quite a while? Yeah, that had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Her phone chimed a reminder that she had places to go and people to see.

Returning to her jewelry box, she held up delicate dragonflies on fine gold chains that nearly reached her shoulders. The gossamer wings caught the light streaming through her bedroom's third-story window. As much as she knew the pair would go perfectly with her dress, she frowned. She'd promised Jason she'd at least try to maintain a proper, businesslike air in his absence. Dragonflies didn't exactly fit that image. Reluctantly, she traded the dangly pair for some that would earn a business school's seal of approval.

Slipping them on, she glanced at the itinerary wedged into the corner between her dresser mirror and the frame. According to the schedule, Jason and Tara were supposed to check in later. Which was a good thing. She had lots of news to share with them, as well as a few questions to ask. Like why Jason hadn't mentioned Ryan's plans to turn the old Boat Works into a wedding venue. She jotted that down at the top of her mental list and hustled out the door.

Poking her head into the kitchen five minutes later, she immediately spotted the bustling figure who'd been a fixture in her life as far back as she could remember. As kids, she and Jason had used every excuse in the book to pass through the kitchen, where, as likely as not, they'd snag a cookie on their way.

"Hey, Connie," she called. Even as an adult, she didn't dare step foot into the head chef's domain without an invitation.

"How was church? Did you and your friends enjoy lunch?" Connie's round face beamed a friendly greeting.

"Excellent, and yes." When Connie gave a brisk nod, Evelyn smiled to herself. Most people thought that, tucked away in the kitchen, the chef stayed too busy to keep track of the comings and goings in the Captain's Cottage. In truth, not much in the house escaped her notice. Evelyn's weekly brunch with friends following the morning service was only one of many examples.

"Good. You deserved a bit of a break. Seems like you've done nothing but work while Mr. Jason's been gone." The cook swirled a tiny spoon through a pot of soup, tasted, and nodded her approval. Dusting her hands on her apron, she asked, "Now, what can I do for you?"

Evelyn smiled. As usual, Connie knew she hadn't simply stopped by to shoot the breeze. "I'm on my way out again. Jenny's going to meet me in the foyer. We're headed to the train station to meet the folks from Weddings Today ." She waited a beat. "They'll be here before lunch tomorrow."

"Oh, yes." Connie grabbed a pair of potholders from a stack beside the oven. "I have it on my calendar. Essie and Fiona will bake extra when they do up the cookies." Connie's two helpers put out trays of baked goods for guests of the Captain's Cottage to enjoy each afternoon. "Any special requests for our special guests?"

"Nope." She thought better of her answer. "On second thought, the heart-shaped ones would be nice. With red sprinkles."

"As if you didn't know we make those every Sunday." Grinning, Connie aimed a potholder at her and gave it a good shake. Most guests spent only a night or two in the Cottage's bridal suites, not long enough to grow aware of the menu's weekly rotation. "I'll tell the girls to add some of those mini éclairs everyone likes. They'll probably put out a few other tidbits, as well."

"Thanks, Connie. You're a treasure." Like Alicia, Connie was another of the reasons the Cottage continued to maintain a stellar reputation. Evelyn had no doubt that when the lucky couple stopped in at the dining room tomorrow, they'd swoon in delight.

"Aw, get on with you now."

Evelyn replied with a good-natured grin. She wouldn't take up any more of the cook's valuable time. The Cottage seldom had overnight guests on Sundays, but that didn't mean the staff took the day off. Connie and her crew would spend most of the afternoon prepping meals for the busy week ahead.

"I'll probably be at the train station for a couple of hours." She patted her dress, reassured when she felt the outline of her phone in the pocket. "If anything comes up, call me on my cell," she finished.

"You just go on, Miss Evelyn. We'll hold down the fort."

After saying goodbye, she continued her trek toward the front of the house. Her footsteps slowed as she drank in the quiet. It was rare to schedule a wedding on a Sunday afternoon, and today was no exception. Her footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The distant sound of a vacuum hummed, confirmation that the housekeeping staff was busy cleaning the bridal suites in preparation for Monday's new arrivals. A low buzz of conversation came from the few guests who lingered over final cups of coffee in the dining room. Knowing she'd spoken to everyone there earlier, she didn't bother to stop.

In the foyer, a portrait of her great-great-great-grandfather greeted every visitor to the Cottage. From thick brows to high cheekbones and on down to a chiseled jaw, Thaddeus Heart's face reflected determination and success. The man had been every inch the captain of his own ship. Though he'd spent a dozen years at sea, his love for his wife and family were legendary. He'd sworn an oath to celebrate Mary's birthday at home each year, and he'd kept that promise. His love for her was so great that one year, he'd even braved a hurricane in order to drop anchor in Heart's Cove on time.

"You have his lips. You're tall like him, too."

Evelyn jumped. "Oh, my goodness, Jenny!" She'd been so lost in thought, she hadn't noticed her friend approach.

She looked nothing like her successful ancestor. Was that why, at thirty, she was still adrift and unsettled? Peering up at the picture again, she shook her head. "People have always said I favor Mary a bit more. Jason's the one who inherited his looks from the Captain. "

Jenny, who held an armload of bulky packages, canted her head. "Hmm. I still say there's a strong family resemblance."

The idea that she shared something in common with her ancestor was oddly comforting, even if Evelyn couldn't see it. She turned toward Jenny. "Let me help you with some of that." Taking half the boxes from the petite brunette, she peered into one that stood open. "What is all this stuff?"

"Name tags so our guests don't have so much to remember. Brochures for the new arrivals. Extra copies of the week's schedule so everyone knows what's happening and when. A few odds and ends."

"You're prepared for just about anything, aren't you?" They stepped out beneath the porte cochere.

"When I was working with Kay, I had to be," said the woman who'd spent several years as the personal assistant to a Hollywood megastar. "But Alicia's showed me a few new tricks. She's a great teacher." Jenny shifted her lightened load to one hand. "It's such a pretty afternoon. I thought it'd be nice to walk. That's okay, isn't it?"

"Sure." The sun rode lower in the sky than it had when she'd come back from lunch. The air remained pleasantly warm. She started down the long, curving driveway that led to Procession Avenue, while a gentle ocean breeze chased wisps of white clouds across the blue sky.

They hadn't gone far before Jenny said, "You look extra nice today. Is that a new dress?"

"You like it? It has pockets!" The moment she'd tried the dress on and discovered the slits, she'd known she had to have it.

"Every outfit ought to come with pockets," Jenny declared, hooking a thumb over one at her side.

"I'm glad we didn't have to dress up too much today." She ran her free hand over the skirt that brushed the tops of her knees. For the past two weeks, she'd stuck to business attire, her curls pinned and slicked into a bun. The summery dress and sandals made a pleasant change. "I'll probably regret leaving my hair loose. Between the wind and the humidity, it tends to get a bit wild."

"Isn't that the way? If we have curly hair, we wish it were straight. If it's straight like mine, we wish for curls." Jenny laughed as she shaded her eyes with one hand. "Oh, look! Mildred Morey is changing out her window display."

She followed Jenny's gaze to the window of Forget Me Knot Flowers. Sure enough, curtains had been drawn across the plate glass to hide the work from passersby. "Mildred always comes up with the dreamiest arrangements. I absolutely adored the one she created last month."

"The man down on one knee?" Jenny gushed. "I loved how she had him holding out the ring, the bouquet hidden behind his back. Like the flowers were the most important thing. Brilliant!"

"It's no wonder she's the most popular florist in Heart's Landing. What do you think she'll do this time? Maybe something for Wedding-in-a-Week?" Hoping for a peek, she stopped beneath the awning of the floral shop, but it was no use. No matter how hard she squinted, she could only make out vague shadows behind the curtain. She'd barely taken a step farther down the sidewalk when she felt a sharp poke in her ribs. "Hey!" She shot an accusing glance at Jenny, who answered with a sly grin.

"So you and Ryan sure looked cozy in the dining room yesterday. Anything going on there?" Jenny wiggled her eyebrows.

"With Ryan?" She snorted. "Hardly. We've known each other practically all our lives. He's Jason's best friend."

"And why is that a problem?"

She shrugged, ignoring the question as she got her feet moving again. She made it as far as the entrance to I Do Cakes before she realized Jenny was still waiting for an answer. "We never saw each other that way," she explained. "Or at least, he never did. I might've had a tiny crush on him when I was younger, but he was two years older, so nothing came of it." She didn't have to close her eyes to imagine her parents' reaction if, as a sophomore, she'd told them a senior had asked her out on a date. She could hear her dad's bluster, the concern in her mother's voice. Not that it mattered. "Ryan barely knew I was alive back then."

"Well, he was sure giving you a second look yesterday." Jenny tossed her head. Her dark hair shifted on her shoulders. "I think he threw in a third for good measure."

She nudged Jenny's elbow. "Quit teasing. There's nothing going on between me and Ryan." Although the idea was worth considering. The way his hair had fallen onto his broad forehead while he'd spoken had stirred a desire to push the strands out of his clear blue eyes. The urge to trace the angle of his jawline or cup his square chin in her hand had been more than a passing fancy. She might even have suppressed an urge to brush her fingers down the length of his arm and see if his muscles tensed beneath her touch. But she hadn't done any of those things. Chances were, she never would. Not now. Not ever .

"He's a friend. That's all," she insisted. Despite her efforts, a tiny bit of doubt crept into her voice. "At least, I hope we'll be friends again."

"Sounds like there's more to that story."

"Not really." What more was there to tell? She and Ryan had been close once. Then they weren't. Now it sounded like they might renew their friendship, at least for the time being. There wasn't much more to say about it, and as they passed Bow Tie Pasta, she attempted to change the subject by pausing to inhale the heavenly scent of tomato and garlic that permeated the air under the covered walkway. Jenny only tapped her foot, obviously wanting more details.

"There's Helen!" Hoping to distract Jenny, Evelyn waved furiously at a slight figure in the window of The Memory Box. "Do you think she entered the Wedding-in-a-Week competition?" she wondered aloud.

"She always does. Remember the gorgeous boxes her brother made last year?" Handcrafted from the finest materials, they were perfect for storing wedding memorabilia.

While they waited for the opening bars of the Wedding March , the signal that it was safe to cross Honeymoon Avenue, Evelyn crooked a tiny smile, satisfied her ruse had worked and Jenny had forgotten all about Ryan. However, once they reached the sidewalk again, the other girl cleared her throat.

"I believe you were going to tell me more about a certain relationship?"

"I was?"

"You know you were. Stop procrastinating, and out with it. Otherwise, we'll be at the train station and I still won't know what's going on."

She sighed heavily. The girl was as stubborn as a dog with a bone. "Okay, but there's really not much to tell. We palled around when we were kids—Ryan, me, Jason. In the winter, we'd build snow forts and have massive snowball fights that went on for days. Or, once the pond froze over, we'd race around the ice pretending we were Bruins in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. Summers, we'd pretend an old treehouse was the S.S. Mary Shelby and we had to fend off pirates. We put on talent shows and plays. My uncle Dave let us rummage through the wardrobes in the attic for costumes to wear. When we could convince Connie to pack us a picnic lunch, we'd pick wild blueberries and eat them until our lips turned blue. We had so much fun." Thinking of those days, she sniffed.

"What changed?"

"I've asked myself that question a time or two." She studied the clouds that looked like streaks of paint against the clear blue sky. "We drifted apart, I guess. We got older, got interested in different things. Jason and Ryan started playing sports—hockey in the winter, baseball in the summer. I joined the drama club and chorus. The guys used to hang out at the Cottage some, but after they graduated and Jason left for Cornell, Ryan went to work for his dad full-time."

In her teens and early twenties, it had seemed critically important for her friends to share the same interests, the same likes and dislikes. Life had taken her and Ryan in very different directions, so it was only natural her friendship with him had faded. But wait. There had to be more to it than that. Ryan and Jason had very little in common, yet they'd remained fast friends. So why hadn't her friendship with Ryan survived? She couldn't put her finger on a specific reason, but she suspected there was one. What it was, she had no clue.

Just beyond the candy-apple-red awnings of Perfectly Flawless Day Spa, someone had blocked off the sidewalk with yellow tape. "The Ash," Jenny whispered, her voice turning funereal. "We have to go around."

Evelyn craned her neck, but a row of buildings blocked her view of the downed tree. Silently, she turned. In minutes, they'd backtracked to Honeymoon Avenue and headed west toward Union Street.

They were halfway down the block when Jenny said, "You two are going to be able to get along, aren't you? I mean, you'd make a cute couple, but as long as you're not interested in each other, it's important that everything goes smoothly this week."

She chortled. "Ryan and I grew up in Heart's Landing. We both know better than to let anything interfere with delivering a perfect wedding for every bride." The town's motto was so deeply ingrained in every citizen, she wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that mothers sang it as a lullaby when rocking their babies to sleep. "Don't worry. We'll behave. Ryan's a good man, a good worker. Remember when we had that leak in the Blue Room?"

Jenny shook her head. "Before my time, I'm afraid."

"That's right." She shot her friend a wry glance. Jenny had slipped so seamlessly into the fabric of Heart's Landing, she sometimes forgot Nick's new bride hadn't even lived here two years yet. The woman still had a ways to go with learning the town's history. She scanned the block ahead. A banner welcoming the Wedding-in-a-Week couple stretched across the street. Farther down, bunting lined the railings of the Champagne Avenue Station, and hundreds of helium-filled balloons tethered by long strings bobbed in the light breeze. "Okay, I'll give you the short version, seeing as we're nearly there.

"Less than two weeks before one of the most important weddings of the season, the Blue Room flooded during a storm. Jason was out of town, so Alicia offered to move the festivities to the Green Room free of charge. It's larger and I think it's prettier, so it was a really good deal. But the bride got so upset at the change in plans, she had a complete meltdown. She and her fiancé got into a huge fight, and he called off the wedding. That left us with an opening in the Cottage's calendar. I don't have to tell you how rare those are." She waited until Jenny nodded before she proceeded. "As it so happened, this one got snapped up by a certain Hollywood celebrity who sent you here to Heart's Landing to plan a simple, quiet ceremony."

"Which didn't turn out to be simple or quiet." Jenny snapped her fingers as an important piece of her history slid into place. "But what does that have to do with Ryan?" she asked a moment later .

"Jason hired him to make the repairs."

Jenny gave a low whistle. "I've been in that room a million times. I never even knew there'd been a problem."

"I hear he's the best restoration specialist in the state. Maybe even in New England."

"And now he's restored the Boat Works."

"Yeah, that." She heaved a breathy sigh. "If the Boat Works is half as good as it looked in the pictures he showed me, the Captain's Cottage could lose quite a few bookings to him." Which would probably put a damper on any hope for renewing their friendship, since she and Ryan would both be competing for the same clients.

"You know …" Jenny said slowly. She stopped and gave her head a shake. "Never mind. It's probably not my place to say anything."

Less than a block remained before they reached their destination. She shot Jenny a sidelong look. "Go on. Say whatever's on your mind."

"It's just that I haven't been here all that long, but I've dealt with a couple of brides who were hoping for a waterfront wedding. The Cottage is great, and we definitely have the best location. With an ocean view, though?" She shrugged. "Not so much."

Evelyn nibbled on her lower lip. Much as she might want to, she couldn't deny that Jenny made a valid point. Up until now, whenever a couple wanted to say their vows within sight of the ocean, the staff had erected tents overlooking the sea. Trouble was, that high up, things tended to get a bit breezy. She knew Alicia and Jenny cautioned brides to avoid long veils and billowing dresses when planning an outdoor ceremony, but she'd seen more than one bride fight to hang on to gauzy fabric when the wind blew.

Enter the Boat Works, and problem solved. With enormous plate glass windows offering both protection from the elements and a beautiful view, brides wouldn't have to give a second thought to the wind or the rain ruining their wedding day.

"So you're saying the Boat Works fills a need."

"Don't you think so?"

She supposed she did. It fit in with Heart's Landing's promise to provide a perfect wedding for every bride and groom. She felt small when she realized she'd been selfishly thinking about the Cottage so much that she'd lost sight of the town's number-one goal.

She shifted Jenny's packages from one arm to another. Opening the Boat Works marked a change. A change she could accept as long as the Captain's Cottage retained its status as the spot to get married in Heart's Landing.